Pakistan now has around 160 million broadband subscribers, and 69 per cent of its adult population is financially included. Both figures represent genuine infrastructure achievements. What they do not measure is whether citizens can actually use that infrastructure to live better lives, and that distinction is the difference between a digital economy and a dignified one.

The reason is structural. Pakistan's digital economy has been measured, reported and incentivised around access. Getting people into the system counts. What they do inside it does not. Policy targets are written in terms of accounts opened, SIMs registered and agents enrolled.

Pakistan's mobile wallets, digital accounts and agent networks were built for reach. That is what they delivered, and delivered at an impressive scale. Whether people use them, trust them or benefit from them was never the measure.

The moment to course-correct is now. Pakistan's digital infrastructure is still being built. The........

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